Pokemon on Azula
by Pokemon Ranger-Trainer
Summary: Written by myself and no1nosme. After having found a mysterious portal, the team ends up on a magical, mysterious planet called Azula. While there, Brittany discovers that she can somehow speak to Azula. Dawn learns that her friends, Lucas and Barry, are being held captive by the Shadow Master, who has invaded the planet and teamed up with the King of Darkness. What will happen?
1. The Planet Azula

**This is a story written by no1nosme and myself, Pokémon Ranger-Trainer. We're combining our villains, the Shadow Master (mine) and the King of Darkness (no1nosme). Along with our villains, we will be combining the characters I used in Pokémon Ranger and the Chipmunks with the setting no1nosme used for a story called The Lightness and Darkness. We do not own Pokémon or the Chipmunks. But there are OC's that we can claim. Pokémon anime and Chipmunk CGI, because this is really a sequel to Pokémon Ranger and the Chipmunks. Capture ON! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: The Planet Azula**

_In a world unbeknownst to our heroes…_

We last left our heroes as they landed on an unknown world which they traveled to via the TSC (Time-Space Car), which was a magical purple van from the 70's, one of those vans with waterbeds and shag carpeting. Behind the TSC was a plane designed by the Pokémon Ranger Union, the Ranger Bird 1. Ash said from the driver's seat of the TSC, "Well, that wasn't a bad landing."

"You moron!" Misty yelled at him. "Where the heck are we?!"

"I feel the energy of this place, and I've never felt anything like it before. It's amazing! What is this place?" Thomas asked. His Vileplume was by his side. Simon and Jeanette were sitting on his head.

"Her name…is Azula," Brittany claimed.

"How do you know?" Alvin asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think this place…she's speaking to me," Brittany answered.

"She?" Dawn asked. Her Piplup was in her arms. Her Pachirisu was on her shoulder. She was kind of like a sister to her Pachirisu because of this thing she was infused with called the Poké Virus. Basically, some Pachirisu DNA attached itself to hers and resulted in her growing a Pachirisu tail.

"Azula sounds like a woman," Brittany claimed.

"It looks like we're in some kind of jungle," Iris looked out the windshield and observed. Her Axew popped out of her large hair to see. Theodore and Eleanor sat on her shoulders.

"Hey, Crash Ketchum, we're out of gas!" Hannah yelled in Ash's ear. Her Combusken was next to her, and her Sewaddle was on her shoulder.

"Son of gun! I just filled this thing!" Ash groaned. Pikachu started snickering on his lap.

"Relax. We could go forever with the needle on 'E'. It's not totally empty until we stop moving," Thomas reassured.

"I wonder what kind of Pokémon we'll find here," Cilan wondered.

"Mm…Azula said that there are no Pokémon living on her," Brittany informed everyone.

"What the squish?" Ben asked. "No Pokémon?"

"Then, what _does_ live on her?" Summer asked Brittany.

"Let's see…she says creatures of light and darkness live here. No Pokémon. Sorry," Brittany informed them of what Azula said to her.

"Aw!" Jeanette exclaimed in disappointment. "I was really hoping to catch my first one, too."

"We could catch our first Pokémon when we get back to Earth," Simon pointed out.

"Oh, my gosh, a giant dog!" Ash exclaimed and pointed out the windshield. I gigantic, pitch black canine-like creature was standing before them, staring at them. It charged at them.

"Azula says that that creature is called a Squealer," Brittany informed them.

"Can you tell her to get it to not eat us?" Alvin asked her.

"No."

"Floor it, man!" Thomas screamed. Ash slammed his foot on the gas pedal and put the TSC into high gear. They saw the Ranger Bird 1 take off into the sky. They sped away from the Squealer.

"Where are we going?" Eleanor asked Ash.

"It's coming!" Summer said urgently as she looked out the window in the back of the TSC. By "it", she meant the Squealer.

"Drive into the bushes!" Hannah yelled.

"No back seat driving!" Ash responded at equal volume and drove through some shrubs.

"That was a shadow creature?" Misty asked. Ash, Thomas, Hannah, and Dawn all nodded because they all possessed the power to sense dark presences.

"I'm scared!" Eleanor cried.

"Okay, we're in a new and unknown place called Azula. Let's not lose our heads, people, chipmunks, and Pokémon alike," Simon tried calming everyone down. "All we have to do is remain calm."

"That never does anything, Simon!" Alvin yelled at his brother. Then, there was a bumping sound and a loud splash. "What was that?"

"I drove us into a pond," Ash stated sheepishly. He got out and waded over to the hood when something caught his eye. "Mermaids!"

"Mermaids?" Cilan murmured. "But that's impossible."

"You've been traveling with us for over a year and still say the word 'impossible'?" Thomas asked. He and Ben got out. When Ben saw the mermaids, he thought he was in love.

"Hello," a red haired mermaid greeted.

"You don't look like you're from around here," a blonde one commented.

"Uh, err, duh…" Ash and Ben drooled.

"You two are charmed to easily," Thomas groaned with impatience. Everyone else got out of the TSC and Chris landed the Ranger Bird 1 next to it.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Cilan exclaimed. He eyed the mermaids with great fascination.

"We just got chased by a humungous shadow dog and you're in disbelief _now_?" Iris asked him. "I just hope there are dragons here."

"Well, Azula, it looks like you're full of surprises," Brittany whispered and looked towards the sky. She was smiling at the planet's beauty.

"Are you here to stop the invasion?" a dark haired mermaid asked.

"What invasion?" Dawn asked her.

"Chipa?" Pachirisu asked. Translation: Invasion?

"This guy called the Shadow Master shows up with an army of weird, demonic ninjas. Now, he wants to destroy the light half of Azula," the red haired mermaid explained.

"So, after five years, we finally see the Shadow Master again," Hannah growled.

"That's it!" Brittany gasped. "Back on Earth, when we found that portal, it was Azula that was calling out to me! She was crying for help!"

"Please, you have to help! The balance between light and darkness has dangerously shifted," the blonde mermaid begged.

"No wonder I've been feeling uneasy since we got here," Dawn muttered.

"Whoa, these are hot mermaids!" Alvin exclaimed.

"I was going to say that!" Chris yelled when he got out of the Ranger Bird 1.

"How come you're not drooling, Simon?" Jeanette asked him.

"It's because you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Simon answered.

"You think they're hotter than me, Alvin?" Brittany asked him.

"I never said that, and I don't think that, Britt," Alvin reassured her. "I've just never seen a mermaid before."

"Don't tell anyone, but," one of the mermaids whispered, "at the bottom of this lake is a whole colony of mermaids and mermen."

"That's so cool!" Eleanor exclaimed.

"H-h-here, let me pull the TSC out of your pond—err, lake," Ash offered. He got back into the driver's seat and tried to pull out, but the TSC would no start. "Okay, _now_ we're out of gas."

"Pika, Pika, Pi," Pikachu groaned. Translation: Oh, Ash.

"Oh, for the love of—we don't have an extra can of gas?" Hannah asked.

"Considering what we _do _have in the back of that van, it's a wonder that we don't," Thomas answered.

"Vileplume," Vileplume shrugged. Translation: That's a shame.

"Can you stop the Shadow Master? He's in alliance with the King of Darkness," the dark haired mermaid informed them.

"K-K-King of Darkness?" Jeanette stammered.

"There's more than one dark ruler?" Iris tilted her head.

"Let's see…so the Shadow Master is the emperor of the Netherworld, and the King of Darkness must be the ruler of Azula's dark half," Cilan hypothesized. "It's a theory. We don't exactly have much to go on."

"All we really know is that this planet is being endangered by the Shadow Master himself and that we have to do something," Summer pointed out.

"But what do we do first?" Eleanor asked.

"I know it's been a few minutes standing still, but I've been feeling a little carsick," Theodore announced woozily.

"No!" Brittany screamed and ran away from Theodore. Last time he got carsick, she was thrown up on.

Eleanor began to rub Theodore's back. "Feel better?"

"Yes," Theodore nodded. He seemed more at ease.

"When did the Shadow Master and his army first arrive?" Thomas asked the mermaids.

"About two days ago," one of them answered. "They had hostages, too. They were kid of like you. One was a blonde loudmouth, and the other was quiet and wore a hat. Both were male."

"That's Lucas and Barry!" Dawn gasped. She was traveling with Lucas and Barry back on Earth before she got separated from them. Since then, she's been traveling with Ash and the rest of the team. When she heard the mermaid describe her friends, she nearly dropped Piplup. Her Pachirisu fell off of her head and into the pond, while her own Pachirisu tail stuck straight up in surprise.

"This ought to be interesting," Ben came to his senses and claimed. Pichu sighed on his shoulder.


	2. Haon

**Chapter 2: Haon**

_Where we last left our heroes on Azula…_

"So, what do we do?" Iris asked openly. No one seemed to be able to provide the answer until one of the mermaids spoke up.

"Why don't you ask Haon?" the blonde mermaid spoke up.

"Haon?" Thomas asked.

"Who's that?" Ash questioned.

"Haon is a being of light, and a very wise one, too," the red haired mermaid explained. "Haon will give you the guidance you need, no doubt!"

When she winked, Ben's, Ash's, and Cilan's hearts melted. Alvin's jaw dropped and his tongue rolled out. Theodore didn't look, as he was still a little dizzy from the dramatic drive into the pond. Chris was checking out the Ranger Bird 1 to see how it did in the portal. Thomas and Simon, along with the girls, looked at Alvin, Ash, Ben, and Cilan with disgust. Thomas finally said, "Once again, you guys are _way _too easy to charm."

"He has more than a point. You should realize that," Simon added.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you, too. I'm busy," Alvin waved them off, distracted by the mermaids.

"Tom, remember all of those older women I claimed to be in love with?" Ben asked, drool dripping from his lip.

"Yep. One of them was extended family of mine," Thomas replied.

"I've moved on. Mermaids," Ben knelt down by the water, "is there a chance that one of you will marry me?"

"This is why my crush on him faded," Summer muttered to Hannah. "I fell out of love, and by the time I knew it, I had already landed on my rear end."

"Your name is the last ingredient for our recipe of love!" Cilan exclaimed to one of the mermaids.

"As the Warrior of Mesprit, you have my word that you morons are not in love," Dawn assured.

"I am, but with this plane," Chris said from where he was, which was next to the Ranger Bird 1.

"Where can we find this Haon?" Misty asked the mermaids.

"Oh, she doesn't hang around too far from here," the dark haired mermaid informed them.

"Thanks!" Iris thanked her as she grabbed Cilan by the throat and dragged him away.

"Alvin? Alvin? Alvin!" Simon repeated his brother's name and eventually slapped in across the face.

"Ow! What was that for, Simon?" Alvin demanded. "I was having the best time of my life!"

"You got charmed by the mermaids," Simon explained, "and I've never seen you have a good time standing still before."

"It's a blessing and a curse. It can happen without warning," the blonde mermaid explained.

"I'll take these," Misty grabbed Ash and Ben by their shirt collars. Pikachu, Pichu, and Azurill helped drag them away.

After using the magic keys to transport the TSC away, the team departed from the mermaid pool. Alvin was walking next to Brittany, who hadn't said a word to him since they left the mermaids. He asked, "What's wrong, Britt?"

"Alvin, do have any idea how much you hurt my feelings back there?" Brittany asked. "Simon was able to stay strong because he loves Jeanette! Why couldn't you do the same for me?"

"I don't know, Brittany, and I'm sorry. I couldn't help it for some reason. But if it means anything to you, I tried to resist," Alvin insisted. He never meant to hurt his girlfriend. He never meant to fall for those mermaids.

"Pichu…" Pichu sighed. Translation: Teenagers…

Brittany didn't attempt to look Alvin in the eye. She crossed her arms, partially because she was hurt and angry, and partially because she was cold. Night was falling. Ben had asked, "Is this night or are we on the dark side of Azula?"

"They could be one in the same," Summer pointed out. "Brittany, is Azula giving you any clues?"

"Yeah. Let's take the next right," Brittany advised. She was soon shivering. So what Alvin did was he took of his favorite sweatshirt, revealing a red undershirt. He wrapped his sweatshirt around her. She glanced at him and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, Brittany!" Alvin smiled. He was now cold, but he didn't mind because he had finally gotten Brittany to realize he was sorry for being charmed by the mermaids.

Suddenly, there was rustling in the bushes. Iris asked, "What was that?" Simon held Jeanette close to him with one arm. With his free paw, he pulled out his chipmunk sized sword, which glowed in a blue light. Thomas pulled out his human sized (he was human) sword, and it gave off a yellow light. Alvin looked over to Brittany, and her ice blue eyes seemed to glow.

After going through some bushes, the team found a woman who would appear human…if her whole body wasn't glowing like a neon light. She had long, violet hair, and wore a thin head band with a ruby at the center of it, right on her forehead. She wore a flowing lime green dress and had luminescent pink eyes. Her smile was sunny. Theodore had to squint at the humanoid woman's light. As did Eleanor, Dawn, and Cilan. Thomas' glasses, Simon's glasses, Jeanette's glasses, and Chris' glasses all had a special function in the lenses that turned them into sunglasses. That function activated immediately. The woman greeted, "Hello, children. I am Haon. It is a pleasure to meet you all, especially four of the seven Space-Time Warriors."

"You know the legend?" Hannah asked.

"'Long ago, the mythical elements were in a perfect, harmonic balance. One day, the rulers of the element of darkness wanted more. They wanted the Multi-Verse in their image. So the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus, the three dragons of matter, Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina, as well as the entities of spirit, Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie, choose a human for each one of them to help them keep the light and darkness in balance. This kept going for countless and endless generations'," Haon recited from memory. Ash, Hannah, Dawn, and Thomas looked more shocked than anyone.

"I thought there were no Pokémon on Azula," Eleanor pointed out.

"Those seven Pokémon are famous throughout the Multi-Verse for their intense involvement with the creation of matter and spirit," Haon explained. "Now, you all wanted to ask me something?"

"Oh, yeah! What should we do about the invasion?" Hannah asked.

"Hmm…normally, I don't like fighting, but I think you may have to fight back…there are only 16 of you? I was hoping you'd have more of an army," Haon advised.

"We're all we have," Ash admitted sorrowfully.

"A war within a war," Thomas mumbled, thinking about the situation. They were already in a war against the shadows, and now they had to stand on the front lines and defend a planet they haven't even been on for half a day.

"Combusken," Hannah's Combusken requested. Translation: I need a gun.

"No! For the last time, you may not have gun!" Hannah told her Partner Pokémon. "You can spit fire, for Pete's sake!"

"Sewaddle," Sewaddle sighed. Translation: Oh, boy.

The air was suddenly very cold. Everyone but Haon was shivering. Simon and Jeanette decided to stay warm by cuddling with each other, because their fur clearly wasn't enough. Theodore and Eleanor climbed into Iris' enormous mass of hair. Thomas pressed the button on a Poké Ball. The Poké Ball enlarged, and he threw it in the air. "Pansear, come on out!"

Out came his Fire-type Pokémon, Pansear. Haon looked in amazement. It was the first time she's ever seen a Pokémon. Everyone gathered sticks and leaves for firewood, and together, Combusken and Pansear used Flamethrower and set the wood ablaze. Simon and Jeanette were the first to sit by the fire, the dim glow of the embers reflecting off of the lenses of their glasses. Everyone gathered around the fire, thankful for the warmth it gave off. Hannah looked to Combusken and Pansear and said, "Great job, you two."

"Pansear, Pan," Pansear thanked her. Translation: Thank you.

"Here," Brittany said and placed Alvin's sweatshirt on his lap. "It doesn't look like I need this anymore."

"Keep it just in case," Alvin gave his sweatshirt back to her. "I wonder if Dave is wondering how our journey is going. Sometimes I think the only reason he approved is because Thomas, Hannah, and Chris saved Theodore and Eleanor."

"I think he's just letting a wild horse run free," Brittany smiled and placed her paw on top of his. He smiled back at her.

"We should probably put some sort of safety bubble in case the Shadow Master's ninjas and ninja rats show up," Cilan recommended.

"Yes, I have noticed that he has large armies all over Azula. Since he's working together with the King of Darkness, we are in for a tough fight," Haon agreed.

Jeanette saw tears fall from Brittany's eyes and asked, "What's wrong, Brittany."

"Azula…she's crying. She's in pain," Brittany whimpered as tears continued to fall. "I can feel her pain!" Alvin held her paw with one of his, and with the other, brushed her bangs away from her eye.

"Don't worry, Brittany," Jeanette tried to reassure as she and Simon crawled over to her sister and his brother.

"What exactly has the Shadow Master been doing while he was here?" Dawn asked as he held Pachirisu and Piplup.

"The dark side of Azula is growing stronger. The shadow creatures have become more ferocious. Countless creatures of light have been murdered. The balance has been shifted to a very unstable point," Haon answered. Her glowing body flickered rapidly for a few seconds. She seemed afraid to say the words she spoke. She looked to Brittany and said, "Brittany—that is your name, yes?—I've never seen anyone, not even one of the native creatures, that has a connection to Azula as deep as yours."

"I guess she just needed someone to talk to," Brittany shrugged.

"There's something special about all six of you little furry creatures," Haon claimed, "but I can't wrap my head around it."

"Um, we're not _things_, we're _chipmunks_, and we figured we were special when we started talking," Alvin stated.

"Something very, very special in each of you, um, chipmunks. And you humans," Haon turned to her new human acquaintances. She looked at Dawn and added, "And whatever she happens to be."

"Should I be offended?" Dawn asked.

"You have the Poké Virus again, and she just met you. It's an easy mistake," Thomas muttered to her. "I wonder if it's contagious. Then again, it isn't actually a disease, but a DNA infusion."

"Can Ellie and I sleep in here tonight, Iris?" Theodore popped out of the human girl's hair and asked her.

"Sure, Theo," Iris approved. "Can you please kiss Axew good night for me?"

"Okay! Axew's already asleep."

"I know, but I don't want to bother Axew, so can you please do it?"

"Yep!" Theodore nodded.

Then, there was a roaring sound as the silhouette of a dragon flew above the trees. A collective gasp came from the team. An eerie gust blew through and extinguished the fire. Alvin said to Brittany, "See? Now you need the sweatshirt. Here," he put the sweatshirt on over her head and pulled down so her head could pop out, "put it on. You'll be warmer."

"We can always relight the fire, Alvin," Simon pointed out.

"Uh, Simon?" Brittany pointed to the firewood. It was disappearing. "No we can't."

"This is the work of the King of Darkness," Haon muttered in a frustrated manner. She clenched her glowing fist.

"What happened?" Chris asked.

"The King of Darkness destroyed our firewood," Haon growled. Her light was shining brightly with anger.

Simon and Jeanette held each other tightly as they shivered. Alvin gave Brittany the 'I-told-you-so' look. Ash had an idea. He took out a Poké Ball and said, "Leavanny, I choose you!" Out came his Bug- and Grass-type Pokémon. Ash had Leavanny make several leaf beds, and it was done with in minutes. There weren't enough good leaves in the clearing to use and still cover them from sight, so some of them had to share a leaf bed. Ash said, "Thanks, Leavanny!" and called it back into its Poké Ball.


	3. Attacked

**Chapter 3: Attacked**

_The next morning…_

Simon woke up in his and Jeanette's leaf bed. She was still asleep and looked so peaceful. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him. "Good morning, Simon."

"Good morning, Jeanette," Simon smiled and greeted.

"Alright! It's a brand new day!" Ben cheered. He tried to prod Summer up.

"Five more minutes," Summer groggily begged.

"Looks like Azula wasn't a dream," Cilan observed as he looked around at his surroundings.

"Nope. She's real as can be," Brittany smiled. She was wide awake, which was unusual at this time of day. "Silly Alvin is still asleep."

"That's no surprise," Simon chuckled.

"I got this," Thomas assured and took out a Poké Ball. "Minccino, come on out!" Out popped the Chinchilla Pokémon. Thomas asked, "Could you please use Hyper Voice on Alvin?"

"Minccino!" Minccino saluted. Translation: Yes!

It curled its ears, puffed up its cheeks, turned to the sleeping Alvin, and let loose an ear splitting cry. Alvin started screaming, "AAH! WHERE'S THE SNOOZE BUTTON?!"

"Good job, Minccino!" Thomas said to his Pokémon and called it back into its Poké Ball.

"What was that for?!" Alvin yelled, mostly so he could hear his own voice. "That could've totally deafened me!"

"Hey, if it was up to me, my Panpour would use Scald on you and you'd have second degree burns," Hannah said to the Chipmunk.

"Let's go win a small war that is within a bigger war!" Ash cheered.

"Yeah!" Thomas and Ben cheered with him.

"Where's Haon?" Jeanette asked. She looked around and didn't see their glowing acquaintance.

"I don't know, but I say we burn these leaf beds and dance around the flames," Thomas suggested.

"Ooh! Seconded!" Ben raised a hand.

"We're not burning our beds!" Summer snapped. She was still in hers.

"Says the Litwick Trainer," Hannah muttered.

"Okay! Fine! I'm up! Tired, but up!" Summer got out of the leaf bed.

"I think that the Shadow Master and King of Darkness are aware of our presence by now," Thomas hypothesized.

"I'll scout from above," Summer announced and took out a Poké Ball. "Staraptor, old buddy, let's go!" Her Staraptor flew out. "We're hitting the skies, buddy!"

"Star!" Staraptor nodded. Translation: Right!

"Please don't eat me!" Theodore randomly blurted out to Staraptor. The Predator Pokémon looked confused.

"My Staraptor wouldn't eat you, Theodore," Summer assured him. She climbed onto Staraptor's back and they flew into the sky.

"She's on of the best flyers in the Ranger Union. She'll be fine!" Ben assured.

"But you won't be, little hero," a sinister voice hissed. A fissure opened up, separating Ben, Brittany, and Alvin from their friends. Several ninjas with glowing red eyes appeared.

"Oh, great! It's the Shadow Master's goons," Thomas growled sarcastically, unsheathing his sword. The blade glowed yellow.

"They did know we were here!" Simon exclaimed. He took out his chipmunk sized sword. The blade glowed a bold blue light. He stood by Jeanette, ready to defend her. Jeanette was ready to have Simon's back. She pulled out and activated her retractable staff so it was at full length. It radiated a violet light.

"We're in for the fight of our lives, aren't we?" Ben asked from the other side of the fissure. He took out his sword, the Blade of the Hero. It was a weapon usable only by the Hero of Oblivia. It glowed many colors. Down the middle of each side of the blade of the sword were small, glowing symbols; the Involiths Ben has encountered in the past.

"We always are!" Hannah said. She pulled out several shurikens (she's a good ninja, not an evil one) and held them at the ready.

"Stay close, Brittany," Alvin said. He pulled out his chipmunk sized sword and the blade was glowing with a red light.

"Trust me, I wouldn't be anywhere else," Brittany assured. She was frightened.

"I'm sure glad the elder of my village sent me this last week," Iris sighed, holding a whip in her hands. Three spikes were at the end of the whip, and the handle was shaped like a dragon's head.

"There are so many!" Misty gasped in amazement.

"Get the squeaker! That's our top priority!" one of the ninjas ordered.

"Squeaker?" Alvin, Simon, Theodore, Brittany, Jeanette, and Eleanor all echoed, each of them very offended.

"Which one is the one we are after again, boss?" a grunt ninja asked.

"The planet talker, you dolt! She's the one we're after!" the admin ninja snapped.

"Ben! Evasive maneuvers! We'll cover you guys!" Thomas ordered.

"Right! Al, Britt, come on!" Ben instructed. Pichu climbed onto his shoulder as he and the two chipmunks fled the scene.

"After them!" the admin ninja ordered.

"Not on our watch! Emolga, let's go!" Iris threw a Poké Ball.

"Emol!" Emolga squeaked. Translation: Yay!

"Emolga, we have to buy Ben, Alvin, and Brittany some time. Use Hidden Power!" Iris ordered. Emolga drew out a mysterious power, condensed it into several orbs, and fired those orbs at the ninjas.

"Nice job, Iris! We'll stop them in their tracks for now! Sewaddle, String Shot!" Hannah ordered. Sewaddle shot sticky thread from its mouth and showered the ninjas with it. They were all tangled up.

"When will you shadow goons learn that one way or another, we'll kick your butt?" Thomas asked rhetorically. He sensed more shadow beings coming after them. "We have to move it! We should high tail it now!"

"Right!" everyone nodded.

_With Ben, Alvin, and Brittany…_

Alvin had his arms wrapped tightly around Brittany's head, trying to calm her down. Pichu was playing its blue ukulele, and Ben was looking around at their surroundings. He wondered what they could possibly use Brittany for. They ran into the hollow of a tree. Ben said in whisper, "I have a feeling that they'll come through, so we'll hide here for now."

"What if we get spotted?" Alvin asked.

"We won't. Try not to think of 'if'," Ben instructed. If anything was going to go wrong, he'd be ready.

"Do you think they meant me when they said 'planet talker'?" Brittany asked. She looked frightened.

"Pichu!" Pichu gasped. Translation: Look!

A Squealer sniffed the air for a few seconds, and then continued in another direction. Alvin sighed in relief. He whispered, "That was close."

"It could've been closer," Ben pointed out.

"Alvin, Ben, I'm scared. Azula's scared, too," Brittany choked on her words, trying not to burst into tears. "She's hurting, you guys. She's in pain."

"But what do the ninjas want with _you_, Britt?" Alvin asked.

"Does Azula know the answer?" Ben asked her. To both questions, Brittany just shook her head, her auburn ponytail swishing lightly to each side.

"What do we do?" Alvin asked. He silently vowed to protect Brittany with his life, but how would he manage to do so?

"Luckily, my Solosis evolved into Duosion not long ago. We should be fine…I think," Ben assured. "Hopefully, we can get back to the others."

_Back with the others…_

"Hello, children," a sinister voice greeted. The team looked up to find their old nemesis, Dr. Edward, sitting on a treetop. "Where is the young Hero of Oblivia?"

"Far from here!" Hannah snapped at him. "Sewaddle, Razor Leaf!"

"Sew…waddle, waddle, waddle, waddle!" Sewaddle shot razor sharp at Edward. The old man jumped high above them. Sewaddle gasped, "Sewa?" Translation: What?

"He's fast!" Ash gasped in amazement.

"Now, I'm on a mission. Where is the planet talker? Where is Brittany?" Edward demanded as he landed.

Jeanette mustered up her courage and shouted at him, "She's far from your reach!"

"Big words from such a little rodent," Edward raised an eyebrow. "Something has caught my eye. Where is Summer?"

_She must still be scouting, _Thomas telepathically said to Hannah.

_I hope she's alright, _Hannah thought back. She threw a smoke bomb to the ground and telepathically said to all of her friends, _Knowing Edward, he has a trap. We'd better get out of her._

_Right! _Everyone else thought in response. They all escaped, but Iris, Cilan, Theodore, and Eleanor ran in a different direction in relation to Hannah, Thomas, Ash, Misty, Simon, and Jeanette.

When the smoke cleared, Edward muttered, "Drat! They're gone."


	4. Iris Joins the Dark Side

**Sorry for taking so long to update. I have other stories that needed updating, along with other plans. So, here is the fourth chapter. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 4: Iris Joins the Dark Side**

_With Iris, Cilan, Eleanor, and Theodore…_

They were panting and moaning. Iris motivated the others, "We have to get away. If it was just the ninjas, we wouldn't have a problem, but Edward is here, too!"

"Can't we stop for just a second?" Theodore begged. They all stopped to catch their breath.

"Edward seems more powerful than the last time we've heard about him, and the last time was on the radio when he blew up Twinleaf Town!" Cilan pointed out. "It's like I can feel it. And it feels rather sour."

"You're making me hungry," Eleanor told him. Her stomach growled. At first, she thought it was a Squealer, but was embarrassed to find it was her own stomach.

"There they are!" a ninja shouted in the distance.

"We have to move!" Iris panicked. Everyone launched forward, but they were tangled in a net after moving five feet ahead. She had an idea. "Axew, come out here! We need you to use Scratch on the net!"

"Axew?" Axew poked its head out of her hair and asked. Translation: Huh?

"We can gnaw through the net, too!" Eleanor and Theodore volunteered.

"If you value your lives," Edward said as he stepped out into the open, "you won't think about touching that net."

"I smell a recipe for disaster," Cilan announced to his companions.

"Possibly. It depends on how much you resist," Edward smirked. His hand shimmered as he held it up, and everything went black to the trapped minors. They woke up. Iris noticed something; she was deprived of her Pokémon. Axew was gone, and so were her Poké Balls that had contained Excadrill and Emolga. She was at the center of a large room. In front of her was a curtain of shadows.

"Iris!" Cilan called out. She turned around to find him, Theodore, Eleanor, Axew, Excadrill, and Emolga trapped inside of an iron ball that looked like it was made of prison bars.

"Cilan! Everyone!" Iris rushed to the iron sphere her friends were trapped in.

"Their fate is in your hands, young lady," an evil voice snickered. A hooded figure wearing a tattered black robe stepped out from the shadows. His skin was an unhealthy looking white. Red eyes glowed from within the shadow of his hood. Otherwise, his face was concealed.

"Who are you?" Iris demanded with rising fear.

"Ah, yes. You've been fighting my forces for almost two years, yet you haven't met me…" the hooded figure chuckled.

"Y-you're the Shadow Master?!" Iris gasped in realization.

"Yes…and I have a deal for you that you can't turn down," he approached her slowly. "You may not realize it, but we are several hundred feet in the air right now. That iron cage won't save your friends from the impact. I will spare them…if you will join my side."

"Iris, don't do it!" Theodore and Eleanor begged.

"Emol!" Emolga pled. Translation: Don't!

"Excadrill, Excadrill, Drill!" Excadrill added. Translation: You don't have to do this!

"Axew, Ax, Axew, Axew!" Axew begged. Translation: No, Iris, don't!

"Iris…" Cilan managed.

Iris looked at their pleading faces, and then back to the Shadow Master. "It's a deal. But you have to let my friends go if I join your side."

"Done," he assured and placed a bony finger on her forehead. Blackened aura swirled around them. When the aura faded, something about Iris seemed different. Everything was different. She was now wearing a flowing black dress, and her hair style was completely different. Her canine teeth became longer and more pointed.

"Iris, no!" Eleanor shouted.

"It can't be true!" Theodore sobbed.

"Iris, p-please…" Cilan started to beg, but it was too late. Iris turned around, and Cilan saw it in her eyes; she was no longer the Iris he knew. This was a new, sinister Iris. She no longer seemed gentle and fun. The Shadow Master snapped his fingers and the floor below the iron ball opened up. The ball fell through the sky. Cilan could see that he and his friends and Iris' old Pokémon had fallen from a tower. Theodore and Eleanor were screaming.

"I got you!" someone had declared. Everyone had recognized Staraptor's talons as they gripped the iron bars. Summer was on Staraptor's back, and she winked at Cilan, Theodore, Eleanor, and the Pokémon. She said, "You see? I told you that I got you. Now, I'll get you out when we land."

"Yay! Thanks, Summer!" Theodore and Eleanor cheered.

"You can do it, Staraptor. That's it. Nice and easy," Summer motivated Staraptor. She asked Cilan, "Where is Iris?"

Eleanor burst into tears at the question. Theodore hugged her, and Cilan couldn't look anyone in the eye. Summer got the message. But what gave her the message was that the Pokémon in the iron ball looked just as distressed, if not more. It was kind of like a link between Ranger and Pokémon.

_With Dawn and Chris…_

"I really think this is a cruddy idea," Chris declared as he and Dawn stood before a tall tower.

"No need to worry," Dawn winked at him. Ironically (but not surprisingly), he worried more when she said that. Her wink was even less reassuring.

"You don't even know what the heck is inside that thing!" Chris tried to reason with her.

"I know Lucas and Barry are in there, so I'm going in," Dawn shot back and squirreled (no pun intended) her way inside.

"I know I'm going to regret this," Chris groaned and followed her in. "Dawn, slow down! The only reason I'm following you is because I don't know where Ben, Thomas, Hannah, and Summer are!"

"Try to keep up!" Dawn called back to him. "I'm not slowing down until I find Lucas!"

"What about Barry?!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot he was in this rat hole of a tower."

"How do you know they're even here?!"

"Call it Space-Time Warrior's intuition."

They ran around the tower and up several flights of stairs. They stopped at a large room filled with vials of strange liquid. But what grabbed their attention was a purple syringe that was elevated higher than the other serums via a long mechanical claw sticking out of the floor. Chris went inside, got up close to it, and read the engraving on the glass, "'Cure to the Poké Virus'. I think this is the neutralizer."

Dawn ran in, swiped the needle, and urged, "Come on. Let's go. I need this vial."

"How do you know it isn't a trap?" Chris asked.

"Well, if it is a trap…Mesprit will have to find a new Warrior. Now, let's go."

_With Ash, Misty, Thomas, Hannah, Simon, and Jeanette; by a river in the forest…_

"Uh, we're missing people…" Ash announced.

"WE KNOW THAT!" Misty yelled at him.

"Pikachu," Pikachu held its yellow head. Translation: Oh, boy.

"Let's see. Who are we missing?" Ash asked.

"My brothers," Simon started off.

"My sisters," Jeanette added.

"Summer and Ben," Thomas added onto that.

"Chris, Dawn, Cilan, and Iris," Hannah finished.

"So 10 out of our 16 person…" Misty started to say when Simon and Jeanette gave her a certain look, "…and chipmunk army. At least we have each other."

"We do? Yay!" Thomas cheered. "Let's go find the others!"

"Let's preserve our own lives first," Simon suggested as a dragon flew overhead.

"Iris would get a bang out of that if it was a Pokémon," Ash commented.

"Pika," Pikachu agreed. Translation: Yeah.

"Sewa?" Sewaddle turned around while atop Hannah's head. Translation: Huh?

"What is it, Sewaddle?" Hannah asked. She turned around and saw a roaring wave coming at them. "Run!"

"Eek!" Jeanette shrieked as she and Simon darted off. Thomas and his Vileplume were right behind them, and they were followed by Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Azurill, Hannah, Combusken, and Torchic.

"Why the squish does this happen while we are trying to figure stuff out?!" Thomas asked as he ran.

"Vileplume?! Vile, Vile, Vileplume!" Vileplume shouted. Translation: Who cares?! Just keep running!

"Since when do rivers have tidal waves?!" Ash demanded.

Suddenly, Thomas and Misty both had the same idea, as they both shouted, "JUMP IN THE RIVER!"

"Why?" Ash asked.

"If we jump in and stay under the surface for a few seconds, we won't be hit by the wave! We'll only feel it above our heads!" Thomas explained. He and Vileplume jumped in the river. They were followed by Misty and Azurill. Simon and Jeanette held paws as they jumped in. Ash, Hannah, and Pikachu jumped in. Combusken, being a Fire-type, didn't like the idea, so it grabbed Sewaddle and made it use String Shot on a tree branch hanging overhead. The tidal wave just kept rolling. In seconds, those who dove into the river re-emerged.

"Hannah, your Combusken is a chicken," Misty remarked.

"Was that pun intended?" Hannah asked. They all climbed up onto the riverbank when a glowing woman walked out of the brush. "Haon?"

"Where is Brittany? Is she safe?" Haon immediately questioned.

"I-I-I was h-hoping you'd know," Jeanette stammered, partially because she was cold and shivering, and partially because she was worried about her sisters.

"She's with Ben and Alvin. She'll be fine," Thomas assured. "I'm pretty sure."

"They're competent to say the least," Hannah added.

_With Ben, Alvin, and Brittany…_

Brittany had fallen asleep earlier. When she woke up, she was with Alvin, surrounded by some sort of red clothing material. Alvin was wide awake. He said, "Good. You're up."

"Where are we?" Brittany groggily asked.

"We're in one of the pockets of Ben's Ranger uniform," Alvin explained. Brittany then saw that the upper half of his body was poking out of the pocket, meaning she was curled up deep in the pocket. "Are you cold?"

"No. I should be asking you that," she replied.

"Well, it has gotten cooler out," Alvin responded. He brushed her bangs out of her face and smiled.

"Now, let's see," they heard Ben say. "If I was Summer, Hannah, and/or Thomas, where would I be?"

"Al, do you think my sisters are alright?" Brittany asked.

"I think they are. They're probably wondering the same thing about you, Britt," Alvin replied.

"Whoa!" they heard Ben exclaim and emerged from his pocket. With Ukulele Pichu being on Ben's head, Alvin and Brittany each claimed one of his shoulders. Before them stood a girl with dark skin, a black dress, a gray whip, and long dark hair that was in an indescribable fashion. Ben noticed that they whip was shaped like a dragon's head. "Iris?"

"Yes and no," Iris smirked evilly. She swung her whip, and the spikes on the end just barely missed Ben. "Well, Ranger, are you ready to meet your doom?"

"Okay, that is _not _Iris!" Ben exclaimed. He pulled out his two and a half foot Blade of the Hero from its four inch sheath (the sheath is magic so Ben an easily and undetectably carry his sword). It glowed with multiple colors. Alvin pulled out his chipmunk sized sword. The metal blade radiated a red aura.

"Give it up! Hand over the planet talker!" Iris demanded.

"You'll have to pry her from my cold, dead paws!" Alvin spat. He climbed over to the shoulder that Brittany was on and stood in front of her defensively.

"And that's_ after_ you deal with me," Ben added.

"I'll take you all out with great ease and pleasure," Iris sneered and swung her whip at them. Ben deflected it with his sword.

"It's time for attack pattern Omicron 6," Ben decided. He ran around Iris, slowly making his way towards her. Each time she flicked her whip, he deflected it and kept going until his blade was centimeters from her neck. "Iris, I don't want to do this. Whether I do or not is your choice. I'm not going to let you take Brittany. Now, why are you doing this?!"

"I've been given the opportunity of a thousand lifetimes, Ben. Would you pass that up?" Iris asked sweetly.

"If it came to this? Yes, I would pass that up! Iris, we're your friends! You don't have to do this!" Ben insisted, trying to reason with her.

"You don't know the half of it. I did this so Theodore, Eleanor, my old Pokémon, and Cilan wouldn't get killed."

"Theo?" Alvin gasped.

"Ellie?" Brittany managed to say.

"Bye," Iris smirked. She turned into a shadow and vanished.


	5. Enter the King of Darkness

**Chapter 5: Enter the King of Darkness**

_In the Shadow Master's base…_

Dawn and Chris were scurrying through different halls, trying to find the detention level. Chris grumbled, "Dang it! This is like trying to find a fighter plane in a hay stack! How do you know where we're going?"

"Just shut up and run!" Dawn simply said to him. "I think we're almost there! No need to worry!"

Piplup popped out of her bag. "Pip?" Translation: Huh?

"Hey, Dawn, can I jab that syringe in your neck now?" Chris asked. He stopped to rest.

Dawn stopped running, turned around, and asked, "What?! Jam the cure in my neck?!"

"Okay," Chris nodded, pulled out the syringe, let the needle sink into her neck a few millimeters, and injected the serum. Her white Pachirisu tail disappeared slowly. Her squirrely instincts were beginning to fade. Her pupils dilated for a few seconds, and then went back to their normal size. She sank to her knees; her bloodstream taking on the cure. She clutched her left wrist with her right hand. When the cure finished its work, Dawn rose to her feet again. She was still a bit woozy, but she was still good to go.

"Okay, we'll get moving again once my head stops spinning," she announced. "Geez, what the heck is in that stuff? I feel like there's a swarm of Combee in my head!"

"Nope. We have to go now," Chris grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down the hall. He finally found a hallway full of prison cells and dragged Dawn down it. "Hello? Dawn's nerdy guy friends?"

"Who are you calling a nerd?!" a voice demanded from one of the cells. Chris and Dawn rushed to the cell to find a hotheaded blonde boy their age, Barry, and a boy their age wearing a hat, Lucas.

"Lucas!" Dawn gasped with joy. Lucas wasn't just her friend. He was her boyfriend. "Lucas, I am so glad you're okay!"

"D-Dawn?" Lucas sputtered. He seemed delirious. "Dawn, is it really you?" He held his hand out weakly towards her.

"Yes, it's me! I'm here!" she cried and grasped his hand with both of hers.

"Well, it looks like we have some unwanted visitors," a sinister voice snarled. Dawn gasped as she sensed a dark presence. She turned around and saw a tall, seemingly well-built, cloaked figure was standing in the shadows behind her. "Welcome, Space-Time Warrior of Mesprit. I am the King of Darkness."

"Wow. The Shadow Master sure has a wacked up family," Barry remarked.

"What do you want?" Dawn demanded, getting the distinct feeling that a fight was coming on if she didn't think fast. Her only weapon was a small dagger with a six inch blade.

"Not him…again," Lucas strained. Dawn turned around and activated her sixth sense. All seven Space-Time Warriors had a sixth sense. Hers was the ability to read emotions. She saw the fear and despair in Lucas' eyes.

"You are a Space-Time Warrior. You're here to keep the glorious shadows from spreading. You're very existence is preventing the perfect dark world! You must be killed!" the King of Darkness answered. He held out his hand, and it had long, claw-like nails. An orb of dark energy hovered above his palm. He hurled it at Dawn, but Chris reacted first, creating a light blue energy shield. The orb hit the shield and exploded. Dawn took the opportunity to try and pick the lock. Having no success, she took to an alternative.

"Piplup, use Peck!" she ordered. Piplup sprang up with a glowing beak and smashed the lock. The cell door swung open. Barry, somehow having energy, bolted out of the cell. Lucas managed to get to his feet and staggered out into Dawn's arms.

"Resistance is futile!" the King of Darkness snarled and shot a black bolt of lightning from his hands. Dawn's face became very serious. Her sapphire eyes turned to a golden color. She raised two fingers up and the bolt of dark magic dissipated inches away from her fingers. The King of Darkness was taken aback by this. "What?! But how?!"

"I've lost my hometown to you shadow freaks. I AM NOT ABOUT TO LOSE MY LUCAS!" Dawn screamed at him. Her screams sent the King of Darkness hurtling into a wall. "I WILL NOT LOSE ANYMORE OF THE THINGS I LOVE! I WILL NOT LOSE THE ONES I LOVE!"

"Whoa!" Chris exclaimed. He had never seen her like that. "Dawn?"

"Wow! This is crazy!" Barry commented. "I've never seen her like this!"

Dawn ceased screaming. Her eyes were still that golden color. To her right, she sensed one of the Shadow Master's elite ninjas. This ninja had two Shedinja with him. She didn't care. "Piplup, use Peck!" Piplup, again with a glowing beak, sprang up at lightning fast speed. Its beak slammed into one of the Shedinja, knocking it out due to its ability, Wonder Guard. As the fainted Shedinja began to descend, Piplup jumped from it towards the other Shedinja. Shedinja were normally fast Pokémon. Well, fast enough to react, anyways (as Ninjask have proved to be faster). Piplup was too quick for it. Both Shedinja had fainted in the blink of an eye.

"Whoa! They were totally in sync!" Barry gasped the remark in awe.

"Dawn…" Lucas murmured.

"Okay, here's the plan. Dawn, keep doing what you're doing while we make a quick and idiotic escape," Chris plotted.

"Oh, no! I want in on the action," Barry objected. He reached into his pocket for a Poké Ball. "Heracross, let's go!" Out came his Bug- and Fighting-type Pokémon.

"Barry, I strongly suggest that we get out now!" Lucas advised impatiently. "Hurry! The other ninjas will be here any second!"

"Okay, okay! Fine! Heracross, use Focus Blast on the wall!" Barry ordered. Heracross did as ordered. It heightened its mind and created a ball of power. The ball was hurled at the wall. A gaping hole was where the Focus Blast had hit.

"When did Heracross learn that move?" Chris asked. Barry only smiled. He jumped out the hole, not remembering that the detention level of the tower was elevated. "There he goes…twenty bucks says he's dead."

"There's a bet I'm not taking. Let's get out of here," Lucas suggested.

_With Ben, Alvin, and Brittany…_

Ben, Alvin, and Brittany were sitting in a circle. They were hidden by a hollowed tree, where they hid for safety. Ben had an idea. He took out a deck of playing cards and asked, "Do you guys want to play?"

"Sure. I am _so _bored," Alvin immediately answered.

"Pichu, are you playing, too?" Ben asked Ukulele Pichu.

"Pichu, Pichu? Chu, Pichu," Pichu scoffed. Translation: After last time? Yeah, right.

"Okay, so that one poker game got a _little _out of hand. Forgive and forget, right?" Ben recalled and tried to reason.

"What happened last time?" Alvin asked.

Brittany looked at the cards and asked, "And why do these cards have barcodes on them?"

"Uh…they were convicted of murder?" Ben tried. Alvin and Brittany's jaws dropped. Pichu rolled its eyes and began to play lightly on its little blue ukulele. Ben then went on the defensive. "You know how they have those police auctions? The Ranger Union sometimes does that. So, I got these cards. What? Is something wrong with that?"

"How can playing cards be convicted of murder?!" Brittany demanded. "Is that seriously possible?! Can you really kill someone with cards?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Ben responded. "Uh…so are we playing poker, blackjack, or crazy eights?"

"Uh…" Alvin wasn't sure how to respond. "You Rangers are crazy!"

"Nah, it's just me, Tom, Hannah, and Summer who are crazy," Ben objected with a chuckle and a smile. "The rest of the Rangers are quite sane. But we're the only Top Rangers that you know!"

"I'm going to sleep," Brittany muttered. She leaned against Alvin and closed her eyes. Alvin wrapped an arm around her. She snuggled up against him, her eyes still closed.

Alvin looked up at Ben and asked, "How _do _you kill someone with playing cards?"

"In all honesty, I have no idea. I just bid on them, and miraculously no one wanted them," Ben explained. "It's like they were meant for me. Ironic, right? I'm supposed to be the Hero of Oblivia, and I bought cards convicted of murder."

"Yeah, that is ironic. Well, Ben, I wanted to tell you that," Alvin began, and then hushed his voice, "I'm worried about Brittany."

"I am, too. But we have to have faith in ourselves. We can protect her, plus she can protect herself," Ben reassured. He was a true blue optimist. "She'll be fine. We'll all be fine. We'll kick the Shadow Master's you-know-what. You know, when we're not so focused on trying to avoid death, this planet is actually pretty beautiful."

"Yeah, it is," the red clad Chipmunk agreed. He smiled and held Brittany even tighter. "It sure is."

"Al, let's go find the others."

_With Ash, Misty, Thomas, Hannah, Simon, and Jeanette…_

Simon was sitting on a rock, holding a sleeping Jeanette in his lap. Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Azurill were playing tic-tac-toe. Thomas and Vileplume were leaning against the rock Simon was sitting on. Hannah, Combusken, and Sewaddle were trying to figure out a way to get to their friends. She snapped at the others, "A little help would be nice!"

"Relax. I've got this. I'll just use my sixth sense to locate everyone else, and we'll go and get them in a pinwheel fashion," Thomas assured. Every Space-Time Warrior had a sixth sense. Thomas' sixth sense was spatial navigation.

"I thought that would be hard to do with the random flow of dark and light magic of Azula," Misty pointed out, not taking her green eyes off the tic-tac-toe board in the dirt.

"It is. But it's worth a shot."

"What's worth a shot?" a familiar voice asked. Ben appeared from the tree line. Alvin appeared next, dragging a drowsy Brittany along. Pichu appeared last. The ukulele playing Pokémon hopped up on Ben's shoulder.

"Ben!" Thomas and Hannah exclaimed. This woke Jeanette up. her eyes fluttered. When her vision came into focus and she saw her sister, she darted over to her and gave her a great big hug.

"You're alive," Simon commented when he and Alvin were face-to-face.

"Yep," Alvin nodded. "This is awkward."

"Yes, very awkward."

"Oh, for Pete's sake! Just hug! You're brothers!" Misty encouraged.

"Fine," Alvin grumbled. He and Simon wrapped their arms around each other. It was meant to be quick, but they were too glad to see each other to let go. "I'm glad you're okay, Si."

"Me, too, Alvin," Simon responded.

"Aw! Brotherly love!" Hannah gasped at the cute moment.

"I hope," Ash added as he gazed at the hugging Chipmunks. Pikachu rolled its eyes.

"So, now all we're missing is Cilan, Summer, Eleanor, Theodore, and Iris," Misty came to the conclusion.

"More or less," Ben bit his lip and said. He told them about the encounter that he, Brittany, and Alvin had with Iris. Jaws dropped. Eyes were filled with worry. Fists were clenched.

"We have to get Iris back and force the Shadow Master off of Azula," Ash concluded. Everyone nodded in agreement.


	6. The Challenge

**Chapter 6: The Challenge**

_With Summer, Theodore, Eleanor, and Cilan…_

Summer smiled at her handy work. With the help of her Staraptor and Litwick, she tore apart the iron ball the caged her friends. "Okay, guys, tell me everything that happened."

"It all started shortly after you took off on Staraptor…" Theodore began. Summer's face looked more and more shocked as the Chipmunk spoke.

"And he tried to kill you anyway?!" she asked when Theodore finished. Cilan looked away. Theodore looked down at his furry feet. Eleanor and Axew burst into tears. Summer clenched her fists. "What was Iris thinking?!"

_With the Shadow Master and Iris in the tower…_

"So, you really spared my friends?" Iris asked. She wasn't aware, even though she was there at the time. When the darkness was entering her, everything was blurry. When life came into focus, her friends were gone.

"Yes. As I told you, they are in a cell here in the tower for…safekeeping. Be very careful, Iris, for their sake," the Shadow Master lied. If he had scared her with her companion's lives, he'd have her wrapped around his fingers.

"Good," Iris said defiantly, yet fearfully. It was ironic. She hated what she was doing, but Cilan's life was at stake, and to her, that was all that mattered. The Shadow Master handed her a Poké Ball. "What's this?"

"Your new slave," the Shadow Master answered. Even when their faces were inches apart, Iris still couldn't see his whole face. She hated it when Pokémon were called slaves, but if she stepped out of line, she'd be the one responsible for the deaths of Axew, Excadrill, Emolga, Cilan, Theodore, and Eleanor. "I have a plan for you to execute."

_With Ash and the others…_

"You know what I just noticed?" Thomas asked. "Dawn and Chris are gone."

"Yeah…where did they go?" Simon asked. No one had noticed their disappearance until that point.

"Gangway!" they heard someone shout. A blur of several colors consisting of yellow, orange, white, green, and brown slammed into Ash. It turned out to be Barry. "Geez, Ash. Watch where you're going. Or I'll fine you."

"Ugh," the dizzy Ash moaned. "Barry? What are you doing here?"

"Howdy!" Dawn's voice greeted as she, Lucas, and Chris came out of the shrubs.

"Did you miss us?" Chris asked somewhat eagerly. Thomas and Hannah exchanged glances, not sure how to tell him that they hadn't noticed he was gone until a few moments before he arrived. Chris seemed to understand, but didn't really care to begin with. "Okay."

"You should've seen Dawn! Her eyes were all glow-y, and she beat the King of Darkness so hard! And she totally exploded on those ninjas!" Barry informed them.

"Huh?" Misty asked. "She what?"

"Simon, I'm starting to worry about Eleanor and Theodore. They and Cilan are not back yet. I hope they're okay," Jeanette whispered in Simon's ear.

Simon held her close and her hair fountain tickled he nose. He said to her, "Don't worry, Jeanette. I'm sure they're fine. Wow! Your hair fountain is so soft!"

"Thanks," Jeanette smiled.

"Am I hallucinating or am I seeing the Chipmunks and Chipettes?" Lucas rubbed his eyes and asked. He then clutched his stomach and wheezed, "I'm think I'm gonna hurl."

"Hey, guys, I have a proposal. When the time comes, I kill the Shadow Master," Dawn requested, though it was fierce and firm.

Thomas smiled and reasoned, "There are seven Warriors. If there ever is a seven-sided coin, we'll flip for him." Dawn growled a low growl. She wanted to make the Shadow Master pay. She wanted to see to that personally. But she knew he was right. She couldn't do it alone.

"Fair enough," Dawn growled.

Just then, a Hydreigon descended upon them. On the Dark- and Dragon-type's back was none other than Iris. She smirked and said, "We challenge you! Pick three representatives. You'll fight me and two others in a Pokémon battle. We're giving you two hours to decide on who is battling. And not a second later." Hydreigon flew off again.

"What the squish was that all about?" Ben asked.

"Well, we can't have three of us from this specific group go and battle them," Thomas began. "Iris knows us. She knows our tricks. We need to battle alongside someone she hasn't seen in a while, if ever."

"I got it!" Ash came up with an idea.

_2 hours later…_

Ash, Thomas, and Brock stood in a forest clearing. Brock requested, "Remind me what we're up against."

"Well, Iris…a dark, evil Iris," Ash began.

"And two unnamed battle partners," Thomas finished. Both Pikachu and Vileplume looked determined and ready for battle. "That must mean it is a triple tag battle of some sort."

"We haven't done anything like that," Ash realized.

"Any way we put it, we have to stay sharp," Brock said to them. His eyes (or rather eye slits) glowed with a golden light. Ash's eyes glowed with this color as well. Thomas' eyes glowed, but they glowed with the color magenta, the color of Palkia. A Hydreigon descended. Iris, once again, was riding it. Two Netherworld ninjas appeared by her, one on either side. She got down from Hydreigon.

"All Warriors? All the more pleasure to defeat you," Iris growled. She took out and cracked her whip. The ninjas took out a Poké Ball each and threw them in the air. Out of one came a Bisharp, and the other, a Sableye.

"Bisharp is a Dark- and Steel-type, and Sableye is a Dark- and Ghost-type," Thomas mentioned.

"Not to mention Hydreigon, a Dark- and Dragon-type," Brock added.

"They're all Dark-types…but with those other types in the mix, this could get rocky," Ash brought up. "We have to choose carefully. Something tells me it's all or nothing this time."

"We have some conditions. We win; we get to take the planet talker's life," Iris stated.

"Planet talker?" Brock asked.

"You want to kill Brittany?!" Ash and Thomas gasped. Brock then gasped.

Iris smirked. "And what are your conditions? Speak now, Warriors!"

"Iris, if we win," Thomas began.

"You have to come back over to our side," Ash continued.

"And the Shadow Master has to leave Azula," Brock concluded. On the way to the clearing, Ash and Thomas had explained the situation to Brock, who they had called via a telepathic link.

"Hmm…accepted. Choose your Pokémon," Iris demanded. Hydreigon looked restless.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu ran out onto the battlefield.

"Vileplume, you're up," Thomas declared. Vileplume took its place beside Pikachu.

Brock took out a Poké Ball. "Go, Steelix!" His ace, Steelix, appeared on the battlefield.

"So, these are your choice Pokémon?" Iris asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. And we don't need your approval," Thomas told her bitterly. "Stay sharp, Vileplume!"

"Plume!" Vileplume nodded. Translation: Right!

"Hydreigon, use Flamethrower!" Iris ordered. Hydreigon spewed flames towards Steelix.

"Steelix, counter with Dragon Breath!" Brock countered. Steelix fired a Dragon Breath attack. It met the Flamethrower. "She must still be a bit spiteful about that one date we had…"

"Well, you did openly state you preferred older women," Ash reminded him.

"Sableye, use Fury Swipes!" one of the ninjas ordered. Sableye rushed towards Pikachu with razor sharp claws.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash commanded. Pikachu tried to dodge, but Sableye was too quick. Pikachu took on the Fury Swipes. The damage wasn't large, but damage was damage. Pikachu was on all fours once again, ready for more. "You okay, Pikachu?"

"Pika," Pikachu smiled at its Trainer and nodded. Translation: Yes.

"Okay! Use Iron Tail!" Ash smiled and commanded. With a metallic tail hard as iron, Pikachu slammed into Sableye. The attack hit it right on the head. "Alright! Good job, Pikachu! Let's keep it up!"

"Vileplume, use Energy Ball!" Thomas ordered. Vileplume summoned the power of nature and condensed it into a sphere. It fired the attack at Hydreigon, but Bisharp rushed forward and took the hit. All three Space-Time Warriors gasped in surprise. Bisharp gave Vileplume a cold look, but did not move otherwise.

"Bisharp, Night Slash!" the other ninja ordered. Bisharp sped towards Vileplume. The attack hit. However, Vileplume didn't take heavy damage. More damage than Pikachu, but not a dangerous amount. The ninja ordered, "Night Slash again!"

"Vileplume, dodge and use Drain Punch!" Thomas countered. Vileplume, with its incredible speed that was not native to most Grass-type Pokémon, managed to barely dodge Bisharp's Night Slash. Then, Vileplume, with a swirling green energy around its purple fist, punched Bisharp in the back, gaining the strength it had lost to the first Night Slash.

"Wow! A direct hit!" Ash admired.

"And with a double type disadvantage, that surely left a huge amount of damage on Bisharp," Brock nodded in approval. _Tom always did spend a lot of time trying to polish Vileplume's speed._

Iris took Brock not paying attention as an opportunity. "Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse!" Hydreigon fired the Dragon Pulse attack at Steelix. The attack hit.

"Oh! Steelix!" Brock gasped. "Ur! Use Dragon Breath!" Steelix recovered from the hit it took. It fired a Dragon Breath attack at Hydreigon. Sableye tried to jump forward and take the hit. Instead, both it and Hydreigon got blasted by Dragon Breath.

Out of the corner of her eye, Iris saw something moving in the bushes. To her astonishment, Cilan came out. Axew followed, and so did Emolga and Excadrill. Theodore and Eleanor then appeared. Summer came out last. She muttered, "The Shadow Master really _did _let them go. He wasn't holding them hostage…"

"Did she say 'let them go'? Yeah, he let them go—from a few hundred feet off the ground! He tried to kill them!" Summer stated from the sidelines.

"What?!" Iris gasped in shock.

"Okay, can someone please tell me what the squish is going on?!" Thomas demanded.

"Iris, why did you join the Shadow Master, anyway?" Ash asked with crossed arms.

"Well, we were captured. Cilan, my Pokémon, Theodore, Eleanor, and I. We were in the Shadow Master's tower. They were in some kind of iron ball. The Shadow Master made an offer to me that I…" Iris choked on her words as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I just couldn't refuse it!"

"Iris…not to antagonize, but…what was the offer?" Thomas asked. He had an idea of what the offer was, but it was better to confirm it.

"He said that he'd spare their lives…if I joined him. So, I did. I had to! After I was infused with darkness, he told me…that…he was going to hold them hostage rather than let them go. He said that because he didn't want me to get out of line," Iris admitted tearfully. "But…BUT HE LIED TO ME!" She gave each ninja a nasty glare. "Hydreigon, use Flamethrower on Sableye and Bisharp!"

"_Remember who your _real _master is, Hydreigon," _an eerie voice rang out. Hydreigon faced Iris. Flames were peeking out of each of its mouths. Iris' eyes went wide with fear.

"Okay! Steelix, use Bind!" Brock ordered. Steelix wrapped its steel body around Hydreigon. Hydreigon let out a squealing screech of pain. Steelix then threw it up in the air and used Iron Tail, knocking Hydreigon out.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

"Vileplume, Solar Beam!" Thomas instructed. Vileplume charged and fired a Solar Beam attack at the exact same time Pikachu used Thunderbolt. The two attacks merged into one and hit Sableye and Bisharp. They were knocked out.

"Excellent work, boys," Hannah complimented as she and Dawn emerged from the bushes. Simon and Jeanette were on her shoulders.

"That finishing move was amazing!" Jeanette exclaimed; awestruck by the battle.

"The whole battle was amazing!" Simon added. "It makes me greatly anticipate befriending my first Pokémon."

"A truly aspiring battle indeed," Cilan claimed. "Now, Iris can come back over to our side. A recipe for blissful happiness!"

"Oh, Cilan, I missed your Connoisseur lingo!" Iris wrapped her arms around him. A blacken aura flowed out of her body. Her gown went from black to pink. Her whip was goldenrod once again. The evilness left her eyes, replacing it with gentleness and kindness.

"Axew!" Axew rushed over to Iris, overjoyed. Translation: Iris!

Excadrill and Emolga joined Axew. Iris spoke to them, "I missed you all so much!"

"Wow! This is great!" Misty cheered as she, Haon, Ben, Alvin, and Brittany emerged from the shrubs.

"I can't believe you bet my life!" an enraged Brittany hollered. Alvin gave her a gentle nudge.

Haon looked to the sky, saying, "Now, honor your promise or face the consequences." Moments after, there was a trembling in the ground. Haon reported to everyone, "The Shadow Master has fled. The balance has been restored."

"He left without us?!" one of the ninjas gasped in shock. Everyone looked at the two of Iris' former battle partners.

"Let's get out of here!" the other ninja suggested. They ran off. No one bother to chase them.

"Hey, guys," Chris emerged from the bushes and greeted.

"We're all ready to go," Lucas reported as he followed him.

"Come on! I can't wait all day!" Barry shouted from far behind them. The others shrugged.

"Come on. We don't want Barry to wet himself," Ash urged and walked into the forest. Brock called Steelix back into its Poké Ball and everyone else followed.

_Sometime later…_

Chris was in the Ranger Bird 1, waiting for the TSC to open up a portal. Brock was in the driver's seat of the TSC. Ash in the passenger seat. Everyone else tried to find room in the back. Alvin complained, "I'm cramped back here. And at this size, that's saying something."

"I can't believe Haon said no," Brock mumbled sadly. Once again, he had faced another rejection. "Hey, Ash? Do you think Lucy, the Frontier Brain of the Battle Pike, likes me?"

"Anything is possible," Ash shrugged. "Now that I think about it, she did seem kind of smitten. Maybe. You should ask her out, Brock. She's a really strong Trainer, too. Everything anyone could ever want in a woman. She kind of reminds me of Misty in a way."

"Aw! Thanks!" Misty thanked her boyfriend.

"This is an adventure I doubt I'll forget," Cilan chuckled awkwardly. He was crammed in a corner of the van. "So, uh, how about we play a game?"

"How can we play a game when your foot is under my arm?" Summer asked.

"At least we're all present and accounted for," Ben smiled and pointed out.

"Goodbye, Azula," Brittany whispered as she looked out the back window. She was on Summer's head. Placing a paw on the window, she frowned. Deep down, she was never a fan of goodbyes. But the balance of Azula was restored and that was all that mattered.

"So, where are we off to?" Barry asked. "If we're going to some planet that isn't Earth, you can just leave me out in space."

"That would actually make my day," Thomas said harshly. "Now either shut up or get an oxygen tank."

"Simon, are you excited to be going home?" Jeanette asked her boyfriend. He nodded to her and held her paw. Brock turned the key and the van roared to life. With Haon waving goodbye, the TSC and Ranger Bird 1 sped into a portal and disappeared.

**I know some of you may think that this is kind of a rushed ending. I know. Believe me, I wanted to make it a little longer, but I was running out of things to write that were not complete nonsense. Thank you to all of you who read this. Next time should be even longer and better. There will be three categories for the first time since Pokémon BW: Grand Adventures. This one will be called…okay; I haven't come up with a name for it. But I will. Somehow. Thanks again. If you would like to know the categories, I will be updating my profile to announce the next crossover. So, my profile is the place to check. **


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